Dharius Daniels - Long Story Short, I'm Back

I want to talk about this subject during our time together: «Long story short — I’m back.» I’m preaching already, «Long story short — I’m back.» I want to start this sermon with a question. It’s a rhetorical question, a question for your reflection. Has anybody ever lost anything? I’m referring to those who may have misplaced some keys. Have you ever lost some clothes? Have you ever… I know I’m getting an amen here… lost a charger? Yes, have you ever parked in a big parking lot sometimes and forgotten where you parked your car? Yeah! If the answer to this question is yes, then you can acknowledge that losing something is an extremely agitating, aggravating, frustrating, and irritating experience. This is the case because when you lose something, you lose more than just that item. In other words, when you lose something, you don’t just lose it; you lose what it does for you. Yeah, when I lose my keys, I don’t just lose my keys. When I lose my keys, I lose access to my car. When I lose my keys, I lose access to what’s inside my car. Watch this: when I lose my keys, I lose the ability to get in the car and drive it to where I’m trying to go. So, I not only lose my keys, I lose access to my car, I lose access to what’s in the car, and I lose the opportunity for the car to take me where only it can take me. Or, I lose the opportunity to get there on time. Because when you lose something, you lose more than just the item itself. This is why it is irritating and aggravating to lose something.

But I want to tell you today, on Resurrection Sunday, that there is something more frustrating, agitating, irritating, and aggravating than losing your stuff. Somebody ask the preacher, «What is it?» Losing yourself! It is one thing to lose your stuff; it is another thing to lose yourself. Some people may be thinking, «Pastor, I’ve never lost myself! What do you mean?» Here’s what I mean, family: when you lose yourself, it doesn’t mean you don’t know where you are. When you lose yourself, it may mean you forgot who you are. God Almighty! Did you hear what I just said? When you lose yourself, it doesn’t mean you’ve lost all of you. When you lose yourself, it may mean you’ve lost a version of you. When you lose yourself, it doesn’t mean you’ve lost everything about you, but when you lose yourself, it means you’ve lost the things that make you who you are.

I believe I am talking to a group of people who are saying, «The way my life is set up in this season, I’m going to let other people chase stuff, because stuff can come back to me. But in this season of my life, I’m getting ready to chase me. And when I find me, I can get the stuff back.» I don’t know who this is for, but I came to tell you on Resurrection weekend that this is not the season to go looking for stuff. This is the season to look for yourself! Sometimes, I have to find myself again, because when I lose something, I don’t just lose what I lost; I lose what it gave me. «Pastor, I’ve never lost myself.» Have you ever lost vision? I see you, because losing yourself means losing vision.

«Pastor, what are you talking about?» I’m not talking about sight. The eyes in your head give you sight; the eyes in your heart give you vision. Y’all better come get me! Vision is a picture of a preferred future. It’s when God shows you a sneak preview of a coming attraction. I may not know the whole movie, but I’ve seen the trailer, and the trailer got me lit! The trailer got me excited; the trailer got me ready to make a move! Am I talking to anybody in here today who can say, «PD, I don’t know everything that’s getting ready to happen, but I’ve seen a trailer, and God’s getting ready to do exceedingly and abundantly, above good God Almighty! If they hate me now, what are they going to do when my vision comes to pass? You hate me? I haven’t even shown up yet!»

Vision! The eyes in your head help you see the day; that’s sight. The eyes in your heart help you see tomorrow; that’s vision. The eyes in your head help you see around the corner; the eyes in your heart help you see what’s getting ready to happen. Am I talking to anybody in here today who can say, «PD, all I know is something’s getting ready to happen?» This is why people are looking at me, PD, like I’m weird, strange, mystical, and naive. It’s because they are looking with the eyes in their head, but I see something with the eyes in my heart. I have vision—it’s a picture of a preferred future for your life, a picture of a preferred future for your relationships and for your resources and for your career. We all have it, but here’s what I’ve learned: bad seasons can make you blind. Did you hear what I just said over here? I said bad seasons and bad circumstances can not only make you bitter but can make you blind. This is why some of the miracles in the gospel regarding blindness are relevant to all of us. See, Charles Spurgeon says that…